


your heart i will choose

by orphan_account



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Fluff, Gen, kid!Noct, older!Ignis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 18:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13664658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ten years after the return of the Dawn, the world remembers the King of Light and how he saved them all.Ignis remembers the boy with blue eyes and a smile that stole his heart.





	your heart i will choose

**Author's Note:**

> written for [ignoctweek](http://ignoctweek.tumblr.com) day 7 - always
> 
>  
> 
> im weak for older!ignis & kid!noct and [ej-art](http://ej-art.tumblr.com) on tumblr did [some fan-fucking-tastic art](http://ej-art.tumblr.com/post/170770786346) and inadvertently inspired this reincarnation au

The breeze caresses against his face, and Ignis breathes deeply. Heat from the sun warms his face as he tilts it up. Children laugh in the distance. A cyclist passes by on the path in front of his bench—there’s a rhythmic hitch in the chains. 

It’s idyllic, this serene sense of calm and peace. The people flourish in this new age of light, revived by the rise of the sun each morning. Dawn returned and they rejoiced. They healed. They began to thrive again. 

Ten years, and it’s as if the Scourge had never tainted Eos, as if the Crown City had never fallen. The restoration effort has been long and arduous, but the people of Insomnia have come out the better for it. It’s inspiring, that so many can band together and bring back what was lost. 

An ache deep in his bones makes him close his eye. Ten years, and it’s still as poignant and sharp as the moment he found—

They call him the Dawn King, the savior of Eos. The Light Bringer who defeated the Accursed. The Chosen King of Light who saved them all. 

 _His name was Noctis,_ he thinks, tells himself stubbornly.  _HIs name was Noctis. His name was Noctis._

_His name was Noct._

Children continue laughing somewhere in the distance, lighthearted and playful screeches as they presumably run around chasing each other. It brings to mind hazy memories of his own childhood running after a boy prince with a bright smile.  _C’mon, Iggy!_ he would be beckoned, and he would be helpless to resist those blue eyes, wide and pleading. 

Footsteps to his right alert him to someone approaching, and he turns his head as someone tugs on his sleeve, insistent. It must be one of the children. He finds a fond smile pulling up his lips—ten years, and his scars never fail to entrance those young enough to have no sense of tact. 

He opens his mouth to acknowledge the child—

“Iggy!” 

—and his world stops. Small hands grip his own, and  _gods_ he wishes he could  _see._

“It’s you! It’s really you!” 

Ignis would know that voice, even so young, anywhere. He would know the way it says his name—that familiar nickname—at the edge of the universe, at the end of his days.  _It can’t be._

His voice falters and comes out soft and timid. “Noctis?” 

The child— _NoctisNoctisNoctis—_ scrambles forward, and Ignis opens his arms automatically, letting him settle into his lap. Thin arms wrap around his neck, and he instinctively wraps his around the small body resting comfortably against him, natural and familiar and warm. 

“I missed you, Iggy,” Noctis whispers, and he buries his face in Ignis’s neck. “I missed you a lot.” 

“Noctis,” Ignis breathes again, faint and bordering on a sob.  _Noctis_ is in his arms again.  _Noctis is alive._ He holds him close, tight enough to crush him, but Noct just snuggles closer. “Gods, Noct, I’ve missed you, too.” 

Relief fills his chest, a light, buoyant sensation that makes Ignis feel like he’s flying, like he’s warping through the air and coming down on the hunt or magiteks and crushing them beneath his lance. Adrenaline rushes through his veins, and his heart beats at double speed, and  _Noctis is alive._

Gentle, tiny hands brush against his cheeks, and Ignis sucks in a shuddering breath, realizing he’s crying. He can feel the worried frown on Noct’s face as he presses their cheeks together, hugging Ignis tight like a child does. 

“It’s okay, Iggy,” he says softly, and Ignis closes his eye again, savoring the sound of his voice. “It’s okay. Don’t cry.” 

 _I have you back in my arms,_ he thinks. “I’m alright,” he says, and a laugh bubbles out of him, unbidden. “These are happy tears, I assure you.” 

Noct pulls away, and Ignis knows he’s assessing him with dramatically narrowed eyes, mouth twisted in a pronounced pout. “Happy tears?” 

“The happiest,” he agrees, and Noct giggles and hugs him again. 

They sit together like that for a while, talking quietly between them as the sun fades in the sky. Noct talks about his new life, living with his mom after his dad passed away a couple years ago, the dreams that felt more like memories of being a prince and fighting daemons and his best friend Iggy who he loved and missed very much. 

“Mom says I was named for the Dawn King,” Noct says, playing with Ignis’s visor. “She says it just felt right, like I was supposed to have that name. I told her about my dreams, and she said it was possible I could be a reen-reenin-” He huffs, and Ignis smiles. 

“Reincarnation,” he supplies, and he feels Noct nod vigorously. 

“Yeah, a re-in-car-nation,” he pronounces slowly. “She said she thought so because I talked about you a lot, and you’re pretty famous for being advisor to the Dawn King.” 

He’s quiet for a moment, before he asks, “What was he like? The Dawn King?” 

Ignis sits thoughtfully, rubbing circles into Noct’s back. “An absolute pain in my ass,” he says finally, and Noct lets out a yelp of protest. “He never ate his vegetables, he slept all the time, and he’d rather play video games than go to council meetings or do anything productive.

“But,” he adds, soft, and Noct waits patiently as he collects himself, overwhelmed by memories. “He was kind, and hard-working, and always wanting to help his people. He cared so much, and I admired him for the endless amount of love he carried in his soul. I was honored to be by his side.” 

Noct stays silent for a handful of heartbeats, then says, almost shyly, “You’ve got my back?” 

His heart is light, soaring. Ignis smiles, pulling Noct close to press a kiss to his head, and answers, “Always.” 

**Author's Note:**

> will i ever write something other than reincarnation aus?? probably not
> 
>  
> 
> come yell about these dorks in love with me on [tumblr!](http://duscaenorange.tumblr.com)


End file.
